Saturday, September 24, 2011

God Is With Us Right Now

Barb Harwood photo

This morning was one of those mornings where the sun, early autumn colors of purple and gold, a bit of rain, blue sky and large dark clouds all converged. I sat on my porch and thought, “this is the amalgam of life.”

On any given day, life is usually a mix of two or more—sun with rain, or sun with color, or rain with color, or clouds with rain. And sometimes, more often than we even know, all five! That’s when life can get complicated. Yet, this morning was one of the most beautiful of the entire year. And the overriding quality was calm. In spite of the white clouds spilling up and out of the dark sky and the rain, the flowers stood still and the sun glistened off the water drops hanging silently from petals. Remarkably, there was no wind.

God is our calm, too, in the midst of the mix of daily life. This is a reminder I need. As my Dad summed it up yesterday as he related the health issues of his ten-year-old dog, “That’s life.” Life is often out of our control. But even with the diversity of situations, and the aging and death and new birth, living is beautiful because God is present in it. Our days are a hue of brilliance and grey. But God is with us; in joy and in anguish, pain and trepidation, humor and blessing.God is in this life, this very moment, with us.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’” Lamentations 3:22-24